Building strong, mutually respectful relationships with your clients helps you fulfil your professional duties – and makes your professional life much easier. Professional rules require practitioners to act honestly and fairly in a client’s best interests and to act with due skill and diligence in service of the client.
Here are some tips for young players to foster lasting client relationships.
1. Communicate clearly
Clear oral and written communication is the keystone of a solid client relationship. If you can communicate effectively with your client, absorb and distil the client’s instructions and follow those instructions in a timely and efficient manner, you’ve almost won the battle.
2. Deliver on promises
Do what you say you’re going to do. A client relationship can sour easily when you promise something you can’t deliver, or fail to deliver something you’ve promised.
3. Manage expectations
Managing client expectations from the outset sets the tone for the entire relationship and conduct of your client’s case. If you oversell your services or the likely outcome at the beginning, you risk losing the client’s confidence down the track when things don’t go to plan. Give clear and candid advice and be confident but realistic about the possible outcomes and costs involved in the matter.
4. Add value
Always look for ways to add value in a competitive marketplace. Whether that’s providing some advice free of charge, a cross-referral of services or offering helpful, informative emails pertinent to your client’s industry, clients will notice your efforts.
Showing you care about their feelings and thoughts also goes a long way. American lawyer Brian Tannebaum urges lawyers to go beyond the practice of law and let your clients know that you understand legal issues are more than just going to court or signing documents. Make time to talk about the client’s life and non-legal issues. Clients always appreciate the extra mile, so run it!
5. Be authentic
Be yourself. As you deal with clients regularly and face ethical and professional dilemmas on a daily basis, you will develop your own unique style. Remember that honesty, integrity and courage are crucial – you are bound to tell clients honestly what you think about the merits of the case based upon a consideration of the applicable law to the relevant facts. They will respect you more for your honesty.
Make these skills part of your everyday practice and you’ll build strong, beneficial client relationships that last throughout your career.
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